Capital Fringe Preview: ‘Caveat’ by Ben Lockshin

Unless you’re an heiress or robber baron, a room of one’s own in DC is hard to come by. Enter the group house scene – where the young, cash-strapped, and slightly desperate commit to living with Craigslist strangers in exchange for lower rent and a better location. But finding the right house is easier said than done, and the competition is fierce.

Caveat takes place in real time at just such an open house. Four applicants vie against each other (and their own neuroses) as they figure out how much they really want the place, while the two current tenants decide which of these wackos they could handle living with. In the rough-and-tumble world of D.C. rental housing, there’s always a catch.

A satirical comedy in one act, Caveat’s running time is 45 minutes, with no intermission.